<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>You Worry Too Much by hiya_zelda (hiya_girlie)</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23338858">You Worry Too Much</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiya_girlie/pseuds/hiya_zelda'>hiya_zelda (hiya_girlie)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda &amp; Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, Stubborn!Zelda, he worries too much doesn’t he, overprotective!Link, some cutesy stuff happens, the return of</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:42:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,271</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23338858</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiya_girlie/pseuds/hiya_zelda</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zelda gets a little roughed up and as always her hero is concerned about her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>74</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>You Worry Too Much</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Zelda sat on the edge of the bed, trying not to fixate too much on Link’s hand on her leg. He slowly wound the bandage around her ankle, tight enough to help with the sprain but loose enough to be comfortable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll have to stay off it for a few days,” he said apologetically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fine.” She offered a half smile. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finished the wrapping and patted her foot lightly, then blushed as he realized what he’d done. “We got lucky,” he said, returning her half smile with his crooked one. “You could’ve been hurt a lot worse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. It’s unfortunate that I’ll have to stay off it though. I would like to go back to that spring once more before we leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d be happy to carry you,” he offered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to be a bother-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zelda,” he said firmly, cutting her off, “it’s my job to look after you while we’re here, and if that means I haul you through the woods and up a mountain so you can do what you visit the spring again, I’ll haul you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She paused, her mouth hanging in a little o. “If you’re sure…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a lot stronger than I look,” he assured. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her smile widened and her cheeks flushed. “Alright, then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grinned, the evening light from the window shining off his beautiful blue eyes, and he gently took her foot and pressed a kiss to her wrapped ankle. “I’ll go get started on dinner. Do you want it here, or outside?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She thought her heart would beat right out of her chest, but found her voice and said, “Outside.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded, and left without another word. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>——</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The hearty smell filling the air set Zelda’s stomach rumbling. She would never cease to be amazed by how delicious Link’s cooking was. Maybe when they returned to the castle she’d ask if he wanted to be a court chef. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He came up to get her, still wearing the dusty apron, which now sported a new orange stain. “I decided to try something new today,” he said excitedly. “I think you’ll like it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it tastes as good as it smells, I think I will,” she agreed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still want to eat outside?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded. “I just need help getting down the stairs then I should be able to hobble out to the porch from there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stood carefully, favoring her sprained ankle, and reached out to lean on him. He put his arm around her waist, not noticing how her breath caught at his touch, and together they went to the stairs. She moved to step down, then he stopped her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” she insisted, setting her foot on the first step. “Just give me your arm to steady myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Better safe than sorry,” he said. “Or I can bring the food up, if you’d rather.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a sigh, she caved and let him carry her piggyback down the stairs. She was glad they were alone; anyone else would have seen her red face and laughed about it. He didn’t pause at the bottom for her to get off and instead went directly to the porch, finally letting her down onto the bench. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could have walked, you know,” she huffed, half glaring, half grinning at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe you said ‘hobble’,” he corrected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This was faster,” he said with a lazy shrug. “Besides, your advisors would have my head for letting you walk on a sprained ankle.” He winced. “They’ll probably have my head anyway for letting it get sprained in the first place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She opened her mouth to reply but he disappeared back inside to get the food. When he came back carrying a tray of roasted vegetables, covered in a red-orange sauce. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t your fault, you know,” she said, scooping carrots onto her plate. “I was the idiot who went out without looking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed, absently poking his food with a fork. “I should have been keeping a closer eye on you,” he protested. “If I had seen the rocks I could have stopped you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Link,” she said, looking him directly in the eyes. He looked back at her, unsuccessfully masking his shame. “It was my fault for being reckless, alright? Don’t worry about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He clearly didn’t agree with her, but let the topic drop, eating his dinner silently. The food, despite looking questionable, tasted delicious as usual. She helped herself to as much as she could eat, licking her fingers carelessly when she finished. He didn’t say anything as he took the dishes back inside and went to work scrubbing them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She watched the sun go down for a moment before hobbling back inside, leaning against walls and furniture to get to the kitchen. She propped herself against the counter, watching him scrub. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it makes you feel less guilty, you can carry me,” she said softly. “But promise me that you won’t keep blaming yourself, okay? It was an accident.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She waited patiently for him to finish. He took off the apron and set it down, then picked her up again. She relaxed, laying her head on his shoulder and letting her arms fall around him. He carried her up the stairs like she weighed nothing. It was much faster than if she had tried to get up on her own, and she had to admit she didn’t mind the contact. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He set her down on her bed gently, then let out a long sigh. “Sorry I’m being so fussy,” he said, flushing slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I said, don’t worry about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish I didn’t,” he said honestly. He hesitated before continuing. “But protecting you is my first duty, and I guess I feel like I let you down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The only person you’re letting down is yourself,” she said, reaching out and taking his hand. “Accidents happen, you shouldn’t beat yourself up over things outside your control.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes widened at her sudden touch. She squeezed his hand tightly, then withdrew her hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It could have been worse, true, but it wasn’t. I’ll stay off my foot for a few days, then it’ll be fine,” she said reassuringly. “No permanent harm done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what if it had been worse?” He asked, looking away. “You could have hurt more than your ankle, maybe fallen and been swept downstream, and I-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you still wouldn’t be responsible for it,” she finished. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zelda-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand you’re upset with yourself, Link, and I know it’s hard to see me get hurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As your guardian, I should have-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop.” She took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. “You promised me you wouldn’t blame yourself. Are you breaking that promise?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I broke my promise to keep you safe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without thinking, she brought her lips to his forehead, holding them against his skin for a few seconds before wrapping her arms around him. He buried his head into her neck. A few hot tears slid down his cheeks and fell onto her shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am safe,” she whispered. “See? I’m right here. I’m safe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he said, voice shaky. “Yeah, you’re safe. Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a few deep breaths, calming his tears, and hugged her tighter. She pressed her lips to his head until he pulled away, eyes red but wearing his lopsided grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gods, I’m such a baby,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “You sprain your ankle and I break down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Feel better?”</span>
</p><p>He nodded slowly. “Yeah, thanks.”</p><p>
  <span>“You worry too much,” she murmured, tucking a stray piece of his hair behind his ear.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the only scene from a longer story I was trying to write that I could actually write, lol. Who knows, maybe over these next few weeks I’ll do the rest, I’m not supposed to leave my house until April 15, rippp.</p><p>I’m a sucker for Link being super worried about Zelda, because let’s be honest, it’s adorable and it’s cute to write.</p><p>And I apologize for the lack of longer fics, I have one that I am furiously trying to finish that will be a chonky boi, hopefully.</p><p>Thank you for reading and wash your hands!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>